while the disappointment which attended the late expedition was very great, it did not make lieutenant lockwood unhappy or morose. he was only convinced, perhaps, that when the ice and snow and storms, minions of the north pole, undertake to play the game of april fool, they do it very effectually. the absence of so many of his companions from the station had a depressing effect upon his spirits, but as usual he prepared the report of his last journey, and duly submitted it to lieutenant greely, all the while suffering from the severe rheumatic pains which invariably followed his exposure to severe cold. many of the men were complaining, and the weather outlook was not encouraging, and yet, after consulting with lieutenant greely, lockwood fixed his mind upon an exploration up and beyond the archer fiord. his idea was to go west, at least as far as the english had gone along the northern shore of grinnell land, feeling that he could hardly fail of finding something of interest, and would perhaps make important discoveries. indeed, he might be able to determine the coast-line on the west. as usual, he wanted the company of sergeant brainard and esquimaux frederick, 250 and would be content with one dog-team and supplies for thirty days, with a proper supporting party for two days.
his spirits now became better than they had been, caused chiefly, as he confessed, by the glorious sun; and yet he could not refrain from thinking of home, and again resorting for comfort to his old family letters, which he had so frequently read before.
his late failure had been a disappointment to himself as well as to lieutenant greely and the men. some of them seemed down in the mouth and gloomy, and, by way of cheering them, lieutenant greely informed them that he intended to leave fort conger on the 5th of august, or as soon thereafter as the ice would permit. the personal relations of dr. pavy and lieutenant kislingbury with lieutenant greely and himself were not what they should have been, and, instead of getting better, these relations seemed to grow worse. could he not have gone abroad on these fatiguing journeys to escape such companionship, he would have felt utterly desperate. he certainly would cheerfully take any risks during the summer than longer endure the existing personal troubles. lieutenant kislingbury’s only thought seemed to be that a sledge-party should be sent down to littleton island to have the ship leave her supplies at cape sabine, therein merely reflecting the latest opinion of the doctor.
the start for the western trip was made on the 25th of april, 1883, with two sledges, each drawn by ten dogs and carrying about one thousand pounds of 251 rations for thirty days. they moved along the south side of the harbor over very soft and deep snow, through which the dogs labored, yet made their way with full loads. on getting near “sun land,” however, the snow became abominable, and the traveling was as bad as they had ever experienced. after trying for some time to go ahead, but sticking incessantly, they turned short off to the left, and after a great deal of work reached the shore, brainard en route falling down a crack, and lockwood feeling convinced that his feet were frozen, as all sensation had left them.
reaching black knob point, where there was a tent, they found it blown down. after some delay in repitching it, they started overland toward sun bay, through soft and deep snow, and soon afterward reached stony cape, where they encamped, all the party being very much fatigued.
resuming their march, they found the snow not particularly deep, but with a light crust, not quite hard enough to bear, which made the traveling fatiguing. they stopped to rest every hour, the weather being really too warm for comfort, so that lockwood actually longed for the cold and hard work he had experienced in north greenland. they reached keppel’s head in three hours, and found that mr. keppel had a very stony face, and not a handsome head by any means, being a lofty promontory and precipitous mass of rocks, very grand and imposing. in two hours more they reached hillock depot, and stopped to get some corned beef left there by lockwood in 252 june of the preceding year, the english rations left there having all been eaten by foxes.
on reaching depot point, they transferred everything from the supporting sledge and sent it back to the station, afterward getting along with the whole load very well. the high, steep cliffs on their right threw their shadows almost across the fiord, and kept them out of the glare of the sun moving along the northern horizon. fox-tracks constantly appeared. these tracks were found everywhere, and yet it was but seldom that the animals themselves were seen; and in thinking of their habits, lockwood wondered if they laid up in store their surplus food against the days of want. a tame fox kept at the station would always take what was offered; but, when the ice-wall was pulled down, a large supply was found which mr. reuben had abandoned on regaining his liberty.
greatly enjoying the pleasant weather, after finding some esquimaux relics, and making a vain effort to surmount a glacier, they finally reached the head of ella bay, where, after some delay in finding freshwater ice, and snow hard and deep enough to pitch the tent, they went into camp. lockwood and frederick then took the team and empty sledge, and proceeded up a little water-course a few miles. found less ice and more stones than they expected, but, having ascertained that they could advance up the valley with some extra labor, returned. numerous fox, ptarmigan, hare, and musk-ox tracks were seen, but no game. brainard became permanent cook, as the difficult business of making observations devolved 253 entirely on lockwood. the cliffs about here were grand, at least three thousand feet high.
lockwood was disappointed in getting equal altitudes of the sun for longitude (time), the lofty cliffs shutting out the orb of light on each side of the meridian; and yet he had camped away out, a mile or two from the cliffs, in order to avoid this difficulty. this was one of the annoyances he had frequently experienced. after lying awake for hours, or taking his sleep by short cat-naps with one eye open, and running out in order to catch the sun at the right time, and all this after a tiresome march, it was very provoking to have “some miserable cliff” lift its ugly head right in his way. to get the local time well, it was necessary to take the sun’s altitude some hours before noon, and then catch the precise instant of the same altitude in the afternoon, the sun being nearly on the meridian at a time midway between the times of the two observations. this middle time needed certain corrections, and then, the watch or chronometer being regulated to greenwich or washington time, the difference of time, or longitude, was known. the little streams occupying the valleys (or ca?ons, as they should be called) of this arctic country are utterly insignificant compared with the depressions themselves. a great, ditch-like break in the country, from two to five miles wide and ten to thirty miles long, the sides of which are vertical walls rising thousands of feet, may be the bed of a little brook that in summer-time can be readily waded, and at other times of the year can hardly be seen under the universal mantle 254 of snow. it was one of these that they followed in its windings. here and there they would encounter very deep snow, and the sledge-runners would stick on the beds of stone, requiring all their efforts to get under way again. in about an hour they came to a long, level area, indicating lake katherine, which lockwood had previously discovered and named when up near here in the launch, and then the view up the valley was unbroken as far as the glacier. its terminal face could be clearly seen, looking like a little wall of ice three or four feet high, upon which one could readily step. back of this the surface gently ascended until lost in the snow-covered mountain-side far beyond. the whole thing looked like a mass of barber’s lather, flowing slowly down a deep ditch. for some hours, lockwood and brainard both thought there would be no trouble in getting sledge and dogs up the little face to the undulating and gradually ascending surface beyond. after proceeding some distance on the lake, lockwood stopped the sledge, and with brainard went off to the right, ascending a low ridge that ran parallel with the lake and between it and the high cliffs on the north side of the valley. they found the top to be four hundred feet high, and beyond was a wide ravine running down to the bay. there they saw the tracks of three musk-oxen that had evidently passed along on their way toward the fiord; also many tracks of foxes, ptarmigan, lemming, and hare. probably, the chief reason for seeing so few animals, though so many tracks, was that the birds and animals (excepting 255 the musk-ox) are all pure white in color for three fourths of the year. one might look at a hare or ptarmigan a few yards away and yet not see it. the lake called katherine was found to be three or four miles long. at its farther end, the ground was quite bare of snow in places, and everywhere the snow was hard and thin, so that they went along very rapidly. every half-hour, they thought, would bring them to the glacier, but the longer they traveled, the farther the glacier seemed to move away. when only a short walk from the glacier, as lockwood thought, he stopped the sledge, and with brainard went on ahead. the face seemed much higher than they had supposed it, but it was only after walking a mile that they realized what it was—a wall of ice, straight up and down, stretching a mile across the valley from side to side, and nearly two hundred feet high.
after surveying this wonderful object, they returned to the sledge and pitched the tent, seeing no way of proceeding farther; and there they remained a day or two to get a good look at the surroundings before deciding upon the proper course to pursue. a decided fall in the temperature was quite noticeable, due, doubtless, to the proximity of the glacier. they got to sleep after a while, and during the day took a good rest, getting up in the afternoon. the twain went again to reconnoitre, leaving frederick to hunt, or amuse himself in any other way he chose. they went to the glacier-wall again, and followed along its foot to the south side of the valley. this wall was beautiful and imposing. from the top, one third 256 of the way downward, the ice was of a charming green color, and looked like glass; below this came a white surface, in which small stones were numerous imbedded in the ice, with here and there streaks of a brownish color, like chocolate ice-cream mixed with vanilla. a close approach showed that it was earth. at the foot of the wall, probably concealing a “terminal moraine,” was an undulating bank of snow, and over the upper edge of the wall hung wreaths of drifted snow that looked like the icing of cake. the ground for some distance out was strewed with blocks of ice and stone of all imaginable shapes and sizes. on reaching the corner of the glacier, a similar wall was seen extending up along its flank, abutting against an inclined plain of immense bowlders and masses of rock, the débris from the cliffs above. the angle thus formed was full of large blocks of ice, many recently detached from the wall of ice. traveling along the flank proved so difficult that they took to the incline and scrambled for some time over immense masses of rock and snow, often across deep cracks and openings concealed by the snow covering them. after gaining an altitude of several hundred feet, they reached something like a terrace formation, from which they overlooked all the lower part of the glacier. it presented an undulating and gradually rising surface, extending up the valley fifteen or twenty miles, or more. just opposite to them, a branch glacier came in from the north through a gap in the mighty cliffs. the slope of this branch in places was very precipitous, showing great rents and fissures. 257 the surface of the glacier was free from snow, except, here and there, in what seemed little depressions in the ice. there was no way of climbing upon the glacier, much less of getting the sledge and dogs up. it would simply have been ascending a precipice of ice two hundred feet high. to get upon it had been their original intention, although frederick went through a pantomime at the time, which they did not exactly understand, expressing how a sledge would go faster and faster, and finally shoot over the edge like a waterfall. whether he ever had had such an experience in greenland he did not say, but he would never have had it more than once. seeing no way of getting on or along the glacier, except with the greatest labor, lockwood proposed to brainard that they should ascend the cliffs and get an outlook from the top. it did not seem very far to the crest, and accordingly they started, but a more severe climb they had never had, and hoped never to have again. it was a very steep incline of rocks and snow all the way up. when the barometer showed an elevation of twenty-five hundred feet, lockwood found himself on a ledge of rocks from which he could get neither up nor down for some time. beneath him was a steep surface of frozen snow, falling on which he would have gone down-hill like an avalanche. brainard had inclined more to the left, and, by following the side of a steep gully full of ice, had got ahead of him and out of sight.
finally, lockwood reached what had long seemed the summit, and stopped to rest. presently brainard 258 came in sight, and said the top was about a mile off. they then started together, walked over a gradually ascending surface like the top of a vast dome, covered with hard frozen snow and ice, and very smooth and slippery, giving them frequent falls, and at 4 a. m. reached the summit and viewed the country around for many miles. being cold, they did not stay long—only long enough to take bearings by compass of several distant mountains to the south, snow and ice-clad peaks with many glaciers between. to the west the country was less broken, and seemingly was a lofty surface of snow and ice. they traced the glacier near their camp about twenty miles toward the west-south-west, when it, and the valley containing it, came to an end in a high mountain-ridge. this wonderful feature of nature possessed great interest for lockwood. the face of the barometer gave an elevation of the mountain or cliff on which they stood of 5,050 feet above the sea-level. as their tent was only three hundred feet above tide-water, their climb had not been a small one. they descended the mountain readily, although they had to use hands as well as feet all the way down, in some places carrying with them a land-slide of earth and stones.
they were constantly deceived as to distances and heights. a headland on the fiord looked but a half-hour’s travel away, yet it took two or three hours to reach it. so these cliffs, which looked from below like an easy climb, proved the highest and steepest in that benighted region. they got back to the tent after thirteen hours of as hard work as they had yet 259 experienced, and completely tired out. they took meridian observation for latitude, and then enjoyed a hearty meal of ptarmigan killed by frederick during their absence.
on the 2d of may, they left their beds and had breakfast at about midnight. found it snowing and unpleasant. saw little else to do than retrace their steps to ella bay, and thence proceed around to beatrix bay and try to get inland from that place; spent the day, however, in further reconnoitring, as lockwood did not wish to leave before night. brainard went over to the northeast corner of the glacier, but found no way of proceeding in that direction, and, after carefully studying the surroundings, lockwood could see no means of getting on even with packs. spent most of the day in taking observations, etc. occasionally they heard a noise like thunder, caused by the falling in of sections of the great wall before them, more formidable than any to be seen in china. the ground at the foot of the wall was only the bed of a stream with blocks of ice, and here and there a big bowlder. everything being packed up and ready, they started down the stream again, examining several deep breaks in the cliffs to see if there was any prospect of flanking the glacier by means of one of them, but without success. there was no way of getting up even a short distance, except by leaving dogs and sledge behind and taking to the knapsacks, which was not then to be thought of.
they got along without event and reached their old camp after midnight, pitching the tent farther 260 toward the north side, in order to see the sun when ready to take observations. shortly after getting in, frederick laid his whip down for an instant, and the promising dog barker gobbled up all except about six inches of the butt-end in much less time than it takes to mention the fact. the praises of barker had been sung ever since his birth, and this was only one of many of the tricks by which he proved his proficiency. frederick quickly made a new lash, however, and gave it to barker on the next march.
on the 3d of may, as they pushed their way onward, they took a series of angles and paced distances to get at the height of the tremendous cliffs near at hand. the result gave an altitude of forty-one hundred feet, which was almost vertical, the débris extending a third of the way up, and not being quite so steep. they then followed the north shore to record point, and thence took a straight course for the head of beatrix bay. the cliffs were so grand that lockwood never tired of gazing at them, wondering how they were first formed, and thinking what tremendous force of nature had scooped out the awful chasm that comprised the fiord. these walls, high as they were, were only one half or one third of the height of the great snow-covered elevations back of and beyond them.
the appreciation of the grand in this region was frequently marred by fatigue and hunger, and so it was on the present occasion, lockwood being glad enough when, at half-past one, they reached the head of beatrix bay. in the valley which they now entered, 261 they concluded to spend another day. this one, like nearly all the valleys in this region, was simply a ca?on, a narrow, ditch-like formation, walled in by steep, high cliffs. it was occupied as usual by a very insignificant stream, the successor of some mighty mass of water or ice which had originally hollowed out the great gorge. this, and the head of ella bay, were the farthest reached by lieutenant archer, r. n., who explored the fiord named for him to find out whether it was simply a fiord, or a strait or channel, as the polaris people had asserted it to be. his mount neville, thirty-eight hundred feet high, lockwood looked for in vain as a regular head to the valley, and finally fixed it as one of the cliffs which, a little way back, rose slightly higher, to a dome. archer was a day making the ascent. lockwood and brainard walked about four miles up the valley, and saw its termination nearly six miles beyond, when they retraced their course to camp, greatly disappointed in seeing no game, except two or three ptarmigans. the valley seemed practicable for the sledge, and so, after considering one or two narrow and rocky gorges which came in from the west, they determined to follow it to its head (north-northwest), and then seek farther a route in the direction desired, which was west or southwest. as they proceeded, the weather became bright and clear, and the mercury was only 2° below zero. they passed up the valley, leaving in cache for return two days’ rations. the dogs were in excellent condition, and, in spite of stones, went along very well. there was some ice in the stream-bed, and of snow quite an 262 abundance. above the farthest reached the day before, a small lake was discovered—a level expanse of snow with ice beneath. the lower part of the valley had two distinct elevations, the stream-bed, a very easy grade, forming one, while along the stream extended broken terraces, termed shoulders, which from the cliffs projected out on either side, sometimes beyond the middle of the valley, which was from one to three miles wide. the breadth decreased as they ascended, and after several miles it was but a few hundred yards wide. at this point, they suddenly came to a place where the valley seemed to run out, the whole breadth being a mass of rocks. good traveling was seen beyond, however, and, after working an hour doubling up (taking half-load at a time), they got over, and shortly afterward the real end of the valley was reached. they then turned short off to the north, and, going up a steep, rocky ravine, about midnight pitched the tent for further survey of the scene on the morrow.
from this camp a low-looking “hog-back” was seen to close in the head of the valley. they determined to ascend this and get a look at the country, it seeming certain that the big sledge could go no farther. after making some coffee as strong as it could be made, and drinking about a quart each, to bolster up their spirits, the twain again started out, leaving frederick to crawl into his sleeping-bag or keep warm as best he might. they proceeded north up a rocky ravine about a mile, and then came to a level plain stretching northward, some half a dozen miles farther, 263 to a line of cliffs running across which seemed to indicate another valley or lake. to the right were two or three high, dome-shaped elevations, and to the left was mount easy, so called, afterward, on account of the ease with which they ascended it, and in contradistinction to mount difficult, the last they had ascended. they soon came to a pretty little lake—lake carolyn—only a few miles long. this they crossed, and, in places where the snow had been blown off, they could see down through the beautiful transparent ice, seven feet in thickness, even to the stones on the bottom of the lake near the shore. this lake had an elevation of eleven hundred feet above the sea. in three hours from camp, they reached the top of the mountain, an elevation of 2,720 feet, and had a good view. to the south the country was very high, and several glacier-walls came into view, probably connections of the glacier above ella bay. the henrietta nesmith glacier, the garfield range, and the united states mountains, were plainly seen, and also the depression in which lay lake hazen. snow and ice in every direction. the cliffs to the north of the camp were very conspicuous, but whether along a valley or lake they could not make out. they stayed on top two hours, and then descended the south side of the mountain through a deep ravine filled in places with snow-drifts, and lower down with stones and bowlders. however, they went down very rapidly, and got to camp in two hours. the cliffs to the north seeming to extend to the west, lockwood decided to visit them and take 264 that route. the only other feasible route was by way of the ravine they had descended from the mountain-top.
shortly after midnight of the 7th, frederick had the dogs and little sledge ready, and, with nothing upon it but the shot-gun, hatchet, and telescope, they all started. the dogs were irrepressible, and took the little sledge over the rocks in a way calculated to cripple all hands, for they had to run alongside and hold on to the upstanders to keep up. occasionally a runner of the sledge would catch under a bowlder and bring the sledge to a sudden stand-still, the immense strain of the strong dogs threatening to break it. on reaching the lake, all three of the men managed to crowd upon the sledge, and the dogs went at a rapid trot over its smooth, level surface. beyond lake carolyn was a ravine leading toward the river, and there the dogs took to a gallop, and in an hour they reached a rocky height overlooking a long, wide valley walled in on the north side by high, precipitous cliffs, and on the south by heights of even greater elevation, but not so steep. there seemed no way, however, to get down. the water-course from the lake here became a narrow gorge blocked with large bowlders, the spaces between which were full of soft snow. it was not inviting, but they tried it, and in an hour reached the river-bed, the descent being most laborious. here they found themselves only four hundred feet above the sea-level, and, turning to the right, went down-stream in a northeastern direction, the barometer constantly showing that they 265 were going down-stream. en route they passed over several small lakes formed by expansions of the stream. in many places the ice was very thick and beautifully transparent. seven miles from rocky gorge, where they entered the river, they suddenly saw four musk-oxen. frederick being very anxious for slaughter was allowed to go after them, while brainard remained to watch the sledge and dogs, and lockwood went off to the right to take some compass-bearings. after a while he heard a shot from frederick, and saw one of the animals fall. the others did not seem at all frightened, but stood by their dead comrade until frederick drove them away by throwing stones at them. the dogs became greatly excited, and, going to where the dead game lay—a second ox having been killed—they gorged themselves with the entrails until there was danger of ruining their own.
having returned to the camp, lockwood now projected a special trip westward of twelve days, and prepared his outfit as follows: shelter-tent, sleeping-bags, axe, sextant, etc., telescope, shot-gun and ammunition, medicine, cook’s bag, rubber blankets, small lamp, knapsacks, snow-shoes, rations for three at forty-five ounces each per day, and one sack of pemmican for dogs; total, 328? pounds. the large tent was left standing with the big sledge alongside and the american flag flying from the upstander. they got off at an early hour on the 8th with the dogs in excellent condition. much work was required to get over the rocks, but after that they proceeded satisfactorily until 266 near the valley. this was found to be quite wide for a region where everything of the kind was more like a ca?on than a valley in the ordinary sense. its width was two or three miles, or perhaps in some places four, and the general gradients of the stream-bed (dodge river) were very slight, perhaps thirty feet to the mile. narrow, deep cuts in the cliffs and high ground around indicated tributary streams.
frederick having shot a hare, and gathered up the other food, they proceeded on their way, traveling now over thick, clear ice and hard snow, with now and then patches of stones. the valley seemed to come to an end some fifteen miles up-stream, a range of high hills running directly across it.
after various tribulations in exploring a side gorge, at midnight on the 10th of may the party resumed travel up the valley. the condition of the sledge-runners rendered it necessary to reduce the weight to the least amount possible. this doubtless pleased the dogs, for the driver had to restrain their ardor. leaving the sledge to pursue its way along the base of the hills, lockwood ascended a considerable elevation and obtained a good outlook over the country. he was very agreeably surprised to find at the farther end of a gap up stream an apparent prolongation of the valley in the same general direction. on either side of this prolongation was a range of low heights, while the intermediate surface looked very level—so level that he took it for a long lake. to the left, just outside the heights on that side of the valley, he could see at intervals a glacier-wall, the north boundary 267 of a great mer de glace. about twenty miles distant, the valley seemed again to be shut in by a range of hills, but over the tops of them, and at a great elevation on the distant horizon, he saw what seemed to be a snow-bank. this he made his objective point. passing onward through the gap, they came to a long and picturesque lake which was named lake nan after an interesting niece; and coming to a place near the end of the valley, a break in the low heights to the left revealed the glacier they had before seen. its surface was very distinct. extending to the south a few miles, it soon reached an elevation that formed the horizon in that direction. it seemed a vast undulating surface, and, as was afterward discovered, is the backbone of grinnell land. the wall of the glacier near which they camped presented a vertical face of solid ice 140 feet high. at intervals they heard the sound of falling ice—small fragments which became detached and dropped to the base. the altitude of this camp above the sea-level was found to be 1,240 feet, and of lake nan 920 feet; that of their last camp was 685 feet, and of the first camp in the valley, 420 feet.
passing onward, they crossed several small lakes close along the wall, with brooks emptying into them from the north. in a few hours they were on the divide, the surface to the north having more slope than that on the other side. the summit gave an elevation by barometer of 2,610 feet, about 400 feet higher than where they left the wall. they had an extensive view to the east, and could see dodge river 268 as far as they had explored it, also mount easy and the country adjacent. to the southeast, south, and southwest, was seen the glacier, which was named after agassiz. it formed the horizon for half a dozen miles in these directions. all the ice-capped country and glaciers seen from the former camps were found to be connected with, and to form a part of this one glacier. toward the north, the country had comparatively little snow. presently they came in view of a mountain-peak toward the northwest, not many miles distant, which was recognized as mount arthur, the farthest point reached by lieutenant greely during the previous year. away beyond it were seen very distinctly the united states and garfield mountains. just to the west of mount arthur, they discovered a large lake, which lockwood named lake fletcher. they were now on a surface rapidly sloping to the west. some miles distant in this direction appeared a broken range of cliffs and mountains, and between their stand-point and these mountains was a wide valley, connected by a stream with lake fletcher, and a small lake, close to the chinese wall, which they called lake harry, the latter having an elevation of 1,320 feet. they crossed lake harry, and beyond it came to another called lake bessie, having an elevation of 1,630 feet, and covered with deep snow.
reaching the cliffs to the west, they found the descent exceedingly precipitous and rugged. no other passage offered than that through a gorge which was filled with ice and hard snow, whose surface was almost perpendicular. as this was the only passage, 269 they went into camp to devise ways and means. next morning, lockwood attached all the ropes he had, including dog-traces, to the sledge, and while he rode to guide caused the others to ease down the sledge. unfortunately, the rope was too short, and those at the top let go. gravity carried the sledge and rider down the foot of the slope, now somewhat reduced, with fearful rapidity, till they brought up against rocks covered with snow, fortunately without serious damage. the other men and dogs got down as best they could, the former digging footholds as they progressed.
further descending the ca?on, they came to another glacier stretching entirely across their way, and, as it seemed impossible to surmount it or the walls on either side, they came to a halt and enjoyed a night of rest. the next day they pushed on, though troubled with snow-blindness, and, overcoming the obstacle of the previous day, crossed a lake and encamped on its farther end. on the following day, after passing through a gorge, the outlet of the lake, between high cliffs, they were surprised to see a number of floebergs similar in every respect to the floebergs of the east grinnell coast. at the same time they found the water to be salt, and saw the fresh tracks of a bear. these facts convinced lockwood that they were near the western sea, probably at the head of a fiord. this soon became still more apparent. here they also saw another glacier coming in some miles west of the last. they crossed a crack of open water, formed by the tide, and found 270 themselves on well-recognized floe-ice, quite level but covered in places with deep snow. ahead of them, twenty miles distant, on the opposite side of the fiord, was a bold headland, and toward this they now directed their course. this fiord, which lockwood named after lieutenant greely, separated at its head into two bays. these he called, after greely’s daughters, adola and antoinette. the latter bay they were now crossing, while they bore away to the north. it had become very foggy, and was snowing and blowing hard. when some miles out they crossed other bear-tracks, and finally reached the cape for which they had been striving. here the south shore of the fiord bent off toward the west-southwest being very wide and walled in on all sides by steep cliffs broken in a few places by branch fiords or bays. they encamped at the cape on the 13th, had supper, and soon turned in to sleep and fast as long as possible, or until the storm abated, as the party was now reduced to what they called a starvation allowance. there was nothing to do but to make observations when the sun appeared.
the mouth of the fiord at the north side was found to be about forty miles off, but the snow was deep and soft, and they could not attempt it without rations, all of which was extremely provoking. the sun became dimly visible through a snow-storm, looking like a grease-spot in the sky; but, notwithstanding, observations were attempted for latitude and longitude, and many compass-bearings were taken. at times everything was shut out of sight excepting the nearest cliff. brainard feared they would have a 271 very hard time in getting back, and frederick evidently thought he was a long distance from fort conger, seeming rather “down in the mouth.”
soon after breakfast on the 15th, lockwood and brainard started to ascend the cliffs near by, the weather having partially cleared. they did so by means of a ravine opposite the camp, and had hardly reached the top before the snow began to fall again, and the wind to blow from the east; but, notwithstanding, they saw a large glacier to the south twenty or thirty miles away, and another to the northwest at about the same distance. the first was apparently an offshoot of the great “chinese wall” already mentioned. they saw also a lofty range of mountains far to the north, running generally parallel with the fiord. the cliffs to the west shut out the mouth of the fiord, and, before they could get far enough in that direction to see over them, the coming storm obscured almost everything. these cliffs were 2,140 feet high by the barometer, and almost vertical. the driving snow now became very uncomfortable, and, after going three miles westward, they concluded to return. en route, they found a number of fossils of what seemed to be trees, snakes, or fishes, brainard being the first to notice them. they also saw a ptarmigan, an owl, and some snow-buntings, these being the only living objects observed. reached the tent after six hours’ absence, and found frederick tramping around in the snow, not knowing what to do with himself. after supper, all three of the party with the sledge and dogs went an hour’s journey toward the opposite shore 272 of the fiord, ten miles away. the sky was partially clear, and they got a very good view down the fiord, the telescope bringing into view another cape (cape lockwood). between that and the cape on the north side (cape brainard), they failed to see any land, though they examined long and carefully with the telescope. the fiord between those two capes was very wide. several branch fiords, or what appeared to be such, were noticed. cape lockwood seemed to be on the farther side of one of these, or on an island. the country on both sides of the fiord was very elevated, that on the north side much broken, and that on the south, away from the fiord, apparently an ice-clad surface rising into immense, dome-like undulations against the horizon.
after a meager breakfast, they started on their return, finding the snow very deep and soft. the effect of short rations on the dogs was noticed. they saw two seals lying on the ice, which frederick tried hard to shoot, but in vain. lockwood was especially anxious to get a seal, for it looked as if they would have to kill one dog to save the remainder. after much trouble for want of food, they resumed their journey on the 17th, verifying at various points the observations that had been previously made in regard to the great ice-wall and the lake over which they had already passed.
on reaching the end of the lake, they began the ascent of the ravine. the snow at the head of the ravine was very soft and deep, and they had hard work to get through it. arriving at the big snow-drift 273 which they had descended with so much difficulty and danger, it became a question how to ascend, but they managed it by first cutting some steps and getting the dogs up, and then, attaching them by long lines to the sledge below, men and dogs together pulled the load up the almost vertical face. the party went into camp at the old place, and decided to kill one of the dogs, yet very reluctantly, frederick opposing it. brainard had suggested white kooney, but frederick named button, a young dog. button had eaten up his harness that morning, and this decided his fate. he was shot by frederick, and soon the carcass was skinned and presented to his brethren. old howler at once seized a hind-quarter, but the others did nothing more than smell the meat. they walked around it in a reflective mood, debating whether to yield to their hunger or to their repugnance. when the party awoke next morning, nothing remained of poor button but some of the larger bones.
on the 18th, lockwood and brainard ascended a neighboring mountain and got a look at the country. the ascent was easy and they gained the top in a short time; altitude, 2,008 feet. from this point they could see the “chinese wall” stretching off to the southwest forty miles, over hills and dales, as far as the glacier south of fossil mountain, although lockwood could not recognize that particular glacier. the glaciers at the two ends of the lake, near greely fiord, were readily seen to be offshoots of the greater one, whose surface toward the south could be seen for 274 several miles. in that direction, lockwood took the bearings of several ice-capped mountains, one, as he thought, identical with a very high mountain seen to the south from antoinette bay. the “chinese wall” had the same general aspect everywhere—a vertical face of pure white or green ice upward of two hundred feet high, and extending across the country in a fashion he could liken to nothing else.
from here lockwood made a short excursion by himself to lake harry, discovered a number of other small lakes, and obtained the altitude of several localities. he returned to camp only to find the dogs in a bad way for food, and a scarcity for himself and men. resuming their course the next morning, after the dog howler had performed the remarkable feat of stealing a piece of meat when it was cooking on the alcohol-stove, they passed many of the localities they had seen before, but in some cases hardly recognized them on account of the flying snow. making two marches in twenty-four hours, they reached their first camp, and found the tent blown down, but the big sledge in its position, with the american flag flying over it as gayly as if in a pleasant and genial clime. the dogs were gratified with a good feast of pemmican, and the men themselves found it delightful, once more to have a full supply of food.
their next move was for archer fiord, by way of beatrix bay and record point. they crossed another lake, where, as once before, they could see the bottom through ice that was seven feet in thickness, having revisited the north side of musk-ox 275 valley, which was separated from the lake by a very low and narrow divide. dodge river was seen bending off to the northeast toward howgate fiord. the surroundings were very picturesque, but barren and desolate in the extreme. they saw no signs of game, and even the poor, stunted vegetation of the region was wanting. rocks and snow, with stretches of bare ground, composed the prospect.
the lake alluded to above was about twelve miles long—a considerable sheet of water—and, no doubt, in summer would be an interesting place to visit, as places go in the arctic regions.
after camping they proceeded along to the east of murray island, the weather cloudy and calm. depot point was revisited, to look for the english rations, but nothing found.
having killed a seal, they took the meat and blubber along, and camped about ten miles from bulley’s lump, where they had a good feast of meat and liver. the latter was greatly relished, brainard making it into many dishes.
on the 24th, they enjoyed their breakfast at midnight, lockwood calling it a real midnight mass, as it was a black mass of seal-liver, english meat, corned beef, potatoes, and hard bread, all cooked together in one stew which was very good, notwithstanding its miscellaneous character.
the comments of lockwood, in regard to the expedition, and how matters were at the station, were as follow:
“no such word as ‘failed’ to write this time, i 276 am thankful to say, but the happy reflection is mine that i accomplished more than any one expected, and more than i myself dared hope—the discovery of the western sea, and hence the western coast-line of grinnell land. i have now the rather ponderous task of preparing a report, making a map, and writing out this journal from my notes. tidal observations have been taken at capes baird, distant, and beechy, simultaneously, showing that the tides arrive at these places in the order named. this is very singular, as the previous expeditions into these parts established (?) the tides as coming from the north. this agrees, however, with the order of their arrival at cape sumner, gap valley, and black horn cliffs, where i took observations in april. no more musk-ox meat left; it ran out on the 20th inst., and hunting-parties sent out april 25th saw nothing. i surmised as much, from the absence of game on my trip, though brainard did not agree with me. two seals have been shot, but only one secured.
“i find the social relations of our room not improved—rather worse than better. dr. p., though he shook hands and asked me several questions as to my trip, relapsed into silence, which he seldom breaks. lieutenant k. had but one question to ask. i often contrast ours with the pleasant relations of the english officers when here, and think how much happier we should be in following their example. as it is, i soon relapse into ennui and apathy. a sledge-journey, with all its trials, is preferable to this. i view those ahead of us with indifference, as it will rid me 277 of this forced association. another winter would render me a maniac, or put me under a cairn.
“the spirits of the men seem good. the sun has revived them. merry groups may be seen at any time on the sunny sides of the house.
“how often do i think of home, which now seems to me like a series of pictures or objects long since seen! how often of my dear father, whom may a kind providence spare for many, many years!
“both brainard and i lost a score of pounds weight on our late trip; but we are rapidly regaining our avoirdupois. my appetite is frightful, and nothing comes amiss. i want to eat every three or four hours. fortunately, we have a supply of musk-ox beef on hand, having killed three recently aggregating four hundred pounds, to which are added many water and other fowl daily brought in. there was felt at one time some apprehension that our resource in this respect had disappeared, and fears were entertained of scurvy. the men seem to have fared so well that their appetites have become dainty. one would suppose that pork and beans were not staples at our army posts.
“israel makes my farthest of the last trip, latitude 80° 47′, longitude 88° 29′. hence my explorations extend over 2?° of latitude and 38° of longitude. have plotted my western journey, and find that my farthest carries me far off the english map. i took latitude and longitude observations at every camp, and also frequent compass-bearings; to reconcile all these is a task.
278
“rice has taken a photograph of my corner, where i do all my work and also sleep.
“have been reading the authorities on glaciers, and regret i did not inform myself better before going out. but perhaps that chinese wall will make up for my short-comings.
“those rheumatic pains i had a year ago have returned and trouble me much. i must be moving again soon.
“several of the dogs, becoming mangy, have been shot. poor old ‘howler,’ whom we left on the ice-floe, hoping he would recover and follow us, was found dead near the same place. oh! the hours of misery i have spent in sleeping-bags, kept awake by that howling brute—howling, perhaps, just because another dog looked at him! but, for all his howlings and stealings, the ex-king was a good worker and did his duty, and that should be all required of any one, man or dog. may he rest in peace in the happy hunting-grounds of the canine race! frederick, i presume, will put on crape for him.”
