42 Chapter I. 



believed, as did the majority of the others, that there 

 was no probability of ever seeing the Fram again, when 

 once she had given herself over to the pitiless polar ice, 

 and concluded by saying, " I wish the doctor full and 

 speedy success. But it will be a great relief to his 

 many friends in England when he returns, and more 

 particularly to those who have had experience of the 

 dangers at all times inseparable from ice navigation, 

 even in regions not quite so far north." 



Admiral Sir George Nares said : 



" The adopted Arctic axioms for successfully navi- 

 gating an icy region are that it is absolutely necessary to 

 keep close to a coast line, and that the farther we 

 advance from civilization, the more desirable it is to 

 insure a reasonably safe line of retreat. Totally dis- 

 regarding these, the ruling principle of the voyage is 

 that the vessel on which, if the voyage is in any way 

 successful, the sole future hope of the party will depend, 

 is to be pushed deliberately into the pack-ice. Thus, her 

 commander in lieu of retaining any power over her 

 future movements will be forced to submit to be drifted 

 helplessly about in agreement with the natural move- 

 ments of the ice in which he is imprisoned. Supposing 

 the sea currents are as stated, the time calculated as 

 necessary to drift with the pack across the polar area is 

 several years, during which time, unless new lands are 

 met with, the ice near the vessel will certainly never be 

 quiet, and the ship herself never free from the danger of 



