io Chapter I. 



however, be mentioned that Markham took boats with 

 him also on his sledge expedition. Many expeditions, 

 have through sheer necessity accomplished long distances 

 over the drift-ice in this way, in order to reach home 

 after having abandoned or lost their ship. Especial 

 mention may be made of the Austro- Hungarian Tegethoff 

 expedition to Franz Josef Land, and the ill-fated 

 American Jeanncttc expedition. 



It seems that but few have thought of following the 

 example of the Eskimo living as they do, and, instead 

 of heavy boats, taking light kayaks, drawn by dogs. At 

 all events, no attempts have been made in this direction. 



The methods of advance have been tested on four- 

 main routes : the Smith Sound route, the sea route 

 between Greenland and Spitzbergen, Franz Josef Land 

 route, and the Bering Strait route. 



In later times, the point from which the Pole has been 

 most frequently assailed is Smith Sound, probably 

 because American explorers had somewhat too hastily 

 asserted that they had there descried the open Polar 

 Sea, extending indefinitely towards the north. Every 

 expedition was stopped, however, by immense masses of 

 ice, which came drifting southwards, and piled them- 

 selves up against the coasts. The most important expe- 

 dition by this route was the English one conducted by 

 Nares in 1875-76, the equipment of which involved a 

 vast expenditure. Markham, the next in command to 

 Nares, reached the highest latitude till then attained, 



